CDC: Fully vaccinated people do not need masks outdoors, except in crowds
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Fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks outdoors “except in certain crowded settings and venues,” the CDC said in updated guidance.
“Today is another day we can take a step back to the normalcy of before,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH, said Tuesday during a White House briefing. “Over the past year, we have spent a lot of time telling Americans what they cannot do, what they should not do. Today, I’m going to tell you some things you can do if you are fully vaccinated.”
The guidance says that fully vaccinated people — those who are at least 14 days past their final dose — can “participate in outdoor activities and recreation without a mask, except in certain crowded settings and venues” where physical distancing cannot be maintained.
This includes exercising alone or in small gatherings with vaccinated or unvaccinated people, or dining at outdoor restaurants with people from multiple households.
“The science shows, if you are vaccinated, you can do so safely unmasked,” Walensky said.
The CDC also suggested that it is safe for unvaccinated people to participate is some activities outdoors without wearing a mask, such as exercising with members of their household or attending a small outdoor gathering with fully vaccinated and unvaccinated people.
The CDC had already relaxed mask-related guidance for fully vaccinated people indoors, saying they could gather with other fully vaccinated people — or unvaccinated people from one household — without masks or distancing. The agency also has said that fully vaccinated people can travel at low risk to themselves.
The CDC still suggests that people wear masks regardless of vaccination status when gathering with unvaccinated people from more than one household, and wear masks and stay 6 feet apart while in crowds, at larger gatherings or when visiting someone at high risk.
“This guidance will help you, your family and your neighbors make decisions,” Walensky said.
The CDC is expected to make additional guidance for testing and visiting nursing homes and restaurants in the upcoming weeks.
References:
CDC. Guidance for fully vaccinated people. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html. Accessed on April 27, 2021.
Press briefing.
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CDC. Guidance for fully vaccinated people. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html. Accessed on April 27, 2021.
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